Chapter Text
Steve moved from Brooklyn to downtown few weeks ago. After saving money for a long time, he now could afford renting an apartment by himself. It was not in the coolest place in the city, but it was all that he could pay by now. Steve was working at a coffee shop for a couple weeks and he was the cashier and along with Clint or Sharon, he worked on the night shift. His boss, Nick, every often made him help with the storage and the cleansing after the shop closed. Steve, being the right and good man he was, always followed the rules.
The big problem about this job was the period. Working from 6 o’ clock until midnight could be really exhausting for someone who also had history of art university to deal with. Rogers was a shy guy, he didn’t had too much vocation to be the popular and social kid. Therefore, Steve had few friends; Bucky, Peggy and Clint.
Clint was the one who helped Steve when he needed to get a job. “It’s not the best job, but hey, all money is welcome,” he said.
It was half an hour before midnight on a Friday night and the shop was empty. Steve and Clint both believed that there were no more costumers to serve at the time and then they started the cleansing. Steve cleaning the espresso machine. Clint doing the dishes. They chatted, Steve told him about his course, how he was tired, sleepy and how his head ached from remembering the tons of essays he had to do for Monday.
“Are you too tired?” Clint asked, drying . “It’s Friday night, you know, wanna hangout or something? Nat is coming, maybe we’re going to a bar.”
“And I’ll be the third wheel? Oh, no thanks.” He smiled, pouring new coffee grain into the grinder.
And then Steve saw him.
Steve tried to not stare. He really did, but he simply couldn’t.
Everything about him hypnotized Steve.
He didn’t even hear the customer entering. As he looked up, the man was silently approaching the counter. His face was handsome and Steve couldn’t think about anyone more handsome but him. As he walked through the place, Steve’s mouth almost fell open. His cheeks got hot and red and he avoided looking directly to the man. He tried to keep his eyes fixed on the money and the buttons and concentrated on his job.
Yet, the man’s face lacked emotion. Steve couldn’t tell if he was tired, or if he had just woken up. He was looking for hints; was he happy, sad, worried, thirsty, anything that could reveal his current mood like the rest of the usual costumers displayed when they came into the store.
Sadly, the man just asked for a mocha and left. As he closed the door, Steve realized that they hadn’t spoken at all, and he hated himself for that. He felt guilty. The stranger was so beautiful, and he was probably never going to see him again.
“Are you ok?” Clint suddenly asked, as the man left the shop. “You were like, spaced out since that guy lef-“ His eyes narrowed and he made a weird noise. “Oh, I got it. You liked him. He was pretty, yeah, I could say that.”
“No-no. It’s not that. Oh God.” Steve went red and covered his face with his hands.
“Of course it was that. The guy showed up and you couldn’t take your eyes from him. You’re red, Steve. I’m not stupid, come on. You’re lucky because it’s me here now because if it was Sharon, she’d be really, really upset.”
“Why?” Steve’s brow furrowed in doubt.
“What? Don’t tell you didn’t know. Oh Steve, come on. She likes you, my dear…”Clint, leaned on the counter, smirking. “Haven’t you noticed that around you she gets all nervous and God, those v-necks…”
“Oh, shut up Clint, please.”
*
The store was quiet and empty. Clint was napping and Steve was reading a book about Raphael Sanzio, taking notes of it in his notebook. He glanced at the clock and only 15 minutes of work was on his way to his comfortable bed. Steve sighed in boredom and all of sudden, he heard the door opening, quietly.
“Oh fuck.” Steve mumbled as he noticed that it was that beautiful stranger from the night before. He kicked Clint lightly and got on his feet, heading to the cashier. The guy asked for the same mocha and left as quiet as he came in.
Much to Steve’s surprise, the man kept showing up at the shop every night for the whole month, some minutes before his shift ended. The only things he heard from this customer were short, fragmented sentences and he had an incredibly soft voice. Steve could only wish he talked more.
Just like the first day, he paid and left with his coffee. He never stayed to drink it in the shop like the rest of the patrons did. Steve didn’t understand why for it was cold outside and dark, since winter was just beginning and the sun wouldn’t be up until 7am or later. And the shop was always warm. He could see the guy was cold because of the red on his wind-beaten cheeks, nose and fingers.
That week in particular, Clint was too busy with his stuff and medical issues so Sharon covered him twice. The blond girl was cute, smart and easygoing. They had small talks, she told him about her college and that this job was only temporary. She needed the money.
“Unfortunately, we all do.” Steve answered, half smiling. “Hm, you work here every day on the night shift when I get the day shift, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I always work with a guy named Josh, ginger and tall. I believe you’ve worked with him once when Clint got the flu. He told me about you.” She pointed, filling the sugar pots.
“Can I ask you something?” He asked, biting his lip. Sharon had been working here for longer than himself, so she probably knew the mysterious guy.
“Yeah, sure.” She smiled.
“There’s a guy…” Steve started, almost whispering. “He comes every day around half to midnight. He asks for Mocha.”
“The hooker?”
Steve blinked a couple of times before being able to ask. “What?”
“Tall guy, dark hair, green eyes... Always in all black.”
Steve didn’t want to, but he nodded. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to nod; he didn’t want Sharon to be right, although apparently she was.
“Yeah, our regulars are not easy to forget. Some people come here more than once, but he comes every day about the same hour. Hookers come often, since they work near here. Haven’t you seen any yet?”
Steve served hookers regularly—males and females. Clint used to chat with them quite a lot since they were quite friendly. But the idea of this guy being one of them, never even crossed his mind.
He didn’t look like one at all. He had very good taste in clothes; he was very sexy without looking trashy. Actually, he wasn’t sexy. He was hot—hot and elegant at the same time. He had such a delicate face that Steve wished he could touch him to see if it was as soft as it looked.
He could bet it was.
“I guess he comes for a coffee when he gets... When he gets a break. I don’t blame him, he keeps standing out there for hours, it’s really cold outside,” Sharon kept talking.
Steve looked down to his shoes. His co-worker was practically crushing his world, turning it to dust.
“Oh my God” The blond made a face and covered her mouth with her delicate fingers. “I’m so sorry, Steve. Clint told me about your crush on a guy but I didn’t eve- Oh, I’m really sorry. I’m guessing you didn’t know he was a hooker.”
“Well, no,” he admitted. “The guy never talks. The others speak to Clint and their outfits make their profession quite obvious. But that guy, it was not obvious.”
“Well, it is quite obvious actually,” Sharon took Steve by his hand and lead him to the glass window. Once there, she pointed outside. “Because he works right there.”
And there he was, standing in the opposite corner, across the street. At the very moment Steve caught sight of him, a car pulled over in front of him, and he started walking towards it. He turned around quickly, refusing to look.
Sharon chuckled. “You know, he’s really handsome. If you like the guy, talk to him sometime.”
“What?” Steve nearly choked on his own spit. “I-I don’t like him. I was just curious.”
“Yeah, right.” The girl rolled her eyes, smiling sadly.
Yet, Steve was disturbed. This precious guy was being picked up by some strange-potential-psycho, to do things he didn’t even want to think about.
“Don’t be sad. I knew it and Clint knew it too. He was like, not sure if he should tell you or not. He asked me to tell you if ever asked and quoting Clint: Look at the bright side. He’s easier than any other guy you could want. I wish I had that luck. However, that’s lame. I don’t think it really works like this. If the thing has feelings, you know.”
“Yeah…” He whispered, looking around, avoiding her eyes.
“I’m going to turn off the oven or the cookies will get burned. Excuse me.” Sharon said, heading quickly to the kitchen.
Despite the fact that Steve didn’t want to look, he kept glancing through the window. He learned a lot about hookers ever since he started working night shifts since they talked a lot with Clint. Not that they were always telling Clint the things they did, but he overheard several creepy stories about their clients. He had to say that you have to have a lot of strength to be a hooker.
About an hour later, Steve heard the sound of a car door being shut. He looked through the window, as the car he saw before was leaving and the man was now back in place, on the corner, leaning against the street light, closing his eyes and lightening a cigarette.
In that night, Steve felt his heart breaking into a million pieces.
*
It was a Thursday night, a month and a half after Steve saw him for the first time, when things with the mystery guy went a little farther. But not in the way Steve wished. Today, he had Sharon working with him.
The blonde’s attention was fixed on the dark discolorations on his face and in his uneasy way of walking. He was taught it was rude to stare, but it was impossible not to do it. The man had fresh bruises over his face, his jaw. Steve noticed a thin line of fresh blood running by the corner of his lips and how his usual perfect hair was all tossed. The guy walked into the shop like any other day. Steve only could take a closer look at him when he reached the counter.
He had a big bruise forming under his right cheek, one close to his eye on the same side of his face, and another, smaller but still noticeable, on the left side of his neck. He was also sucking on his lower lip; which Steve guessed it was hurt too. To complete the look, his clothes were a total mess.
He asked for his daily mocha, and Sharon, who was quiet cleaning the tables, went to the counter and started preparing it. She was watching him from the corner of her blue eyes, but trying to be discrete. Steve, however, made no attempt on hiding it. God, he needed to ask.
“Are you okay?” He asked and the realized how stupid that question was because it was obvious he wasn’t.
“Do I look okay?” Although he was being sarcastic, his voice was flat. Like always.
“What happened?” He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.
“Men can get quite unpredictable when they drink.” The guy said, sarcastic but still soft.
No, Steve didn’t want to know. Some guy had beaten him. It made his blood boil.
“I’m so-.” He tried.
“Please, just give me my coffee so I can go home,” Steve was cut off.
Steve said nothing more. He kept seeing him from the corner of his eyes that the bruised man, who sat slowly at one of the tall stools on the counter, wasn’t in the mood. Then he placed his elbow on the bar, and rested his forehead on his hand, closing his eyes.
This was a very odd behavior coming from the man so Steve immediately thought that he was far from being felling okay. He had never sat. Of course, he had never come into the store beaten and bruised either.
“Here you go,” Sharon said softly as she finished preparing the coffee and placing it on the counter. Yet, she didn’t bother to hand it to him.
The customer looked up, blinked a couple of times to stare at the cup of hot and fresh coffee. He tried to stand up, but he almost fell to the floor, if it hadn’t been for Steve extending his arms over the bar to hold his shoulders.
Steve steadied him and helped him into the chair.
“I’m just a little dizzy,” the customer said, placing his elbows on the counter again, pressing his forehead to his hand.
Steve left his place behind the counter and moved to the bruised man.
“I’m okay. I’ll go home now,” the man intended to stand, but when he did he stumbled a little and Steve held him before he fell to the floor again.
“God! You are not okay. You can’t go like this.” He said, serious tone echoing in the shop.
“I really don’t want to stay here, you know.”
“Let me walk you home,” Steve offered without thinking. Yet, he was quite pleased with this improvisation.
“What?”
“I’ll take you home. You’re in bad shape. I don’t want you to pass out in the middle of the streets and I guess you don’t want that either.”
Steve knew that if he let him answer, he was going to say no, so before the other man could say anything, he placed him in his chair for the last time, and went to the counter.
“Is it ok if you hold on alone for a bit? I’ll try to be back as fast as I can.”
Steve heard a dull, “Okay” as he went back to the front; where the man was still sitting, leaning against the counter, with his eyes closed.
“Hey,” Steve called softly, hoping he wasn’t passed out. He relaxed when the man opened his eyes slowly. “You think you can walk?” he asked in a calm tone, getting closer to the other man.
“I live three blocks from here. It’s okay.”
“Are you sure?” He was concerned.
“Yes.”
Steve helped the man stand up. He may have hit his head, because his walk faltered and his knees shook, he took him with both arms, feeling the other man holding back tightly, like he was going to fall. The blonde was sure that would happen if he let go.
Both of them left the coffee shop, and Steve spoke, “Okay, you’ll have to lead the way now.”
“That way,” the man in his arms said, pointing to the left.
Steve feared the man was going to pass out since he was very dizzy. He wanted to ask the exact address, in case he did. The idea of leaving the man on his own while he was in such a horrible state wasn’t very appealing.
“566 Linden Blvd,” Steve was informed. The other man was probably thinking the same thing.
“Okay, I’ll get you there.”
They walked slowly. Steve was feeling heavier by the second since it was extremely hard for the other to keep steady and stay on his feet. They walked down three blocks and took a left and reached the front door of his building. After taking his keys out of his pocket the man was unable to place it inside the lock.
He highly doubted he would make it to his apartment successfully.
“Here, let me,” Steve took the keys from him and opened the door.
The hall was completely dark. The only available light was very dim and continuously flickering, coming from the elevator at the end of the hall. They got into it, and then the man spoke before Steve could ask.
“Second.”
Steve pressed the button, and after making a loud noise and shaking a little, the elevator lifted very slowly.
He turned his eyes to the man on his side, who was still pressed against him, but leaned against the wall, face up, eyes closed.
“God, he’s so beautiful,” Steve thought, amazed at how those horrible bruises didn’t take away his beauty. In a tragic way, he still looked breathtaking.
A strenuous grinding sound announced they were on the second floor. Steve opened the door, taking the man in his arms again. He could barely see anything. There were no windows and it was dark. They were in a short corridor, and the man led the way towards the end of it. Steve took the keys and opened the door of the apartment before the other man could even try, and then he heard him speak.
“I’ll go from here.” Steve said, smiling and taking a few steps behind. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
The other man nodded, “My bed is near, and I just want to sleep.”
“Okay.”
“Thank you. Good night.”
“Bye.” Steve whispered more to himself than anything as the man closed the door.